The Asheville citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1885-1889, 1887-04-09
SOCIAL EQUALITY INEDUCATIoN
HTHE ECHATTANOOGA UNIVERSITY
IN TROUBLE"

OOubQ, IN GllS place. ana WHICH speaks
for ITSELF He writes as follows to the
HoLston MrtkOdist:
The long looked-for meeting of the
Trustees of the Chattanooga University
to consider the order of the Freedmen's
Aid Society with reference to resembling
the action of the faculty in refusing the
admission of colored students, and also
to compass the removal of Prof. Caul-
'kins, as a person unfit to teach in the
schools of the society, has at last been
held, and they have spoken in no uncer-
tain sound. The whole matter was thor
cughly discussed, and the result is, 1st
That in order to put the local manage
ment of the school in harmony with the
wish of the Ereedmen's Aid Society, the
Trustees agree that at the close of the
present term of the institution to hence
forth conduct the school for whites, aith-
OFT the application of any Ttsles of exclusion
on grounds Of race, color or preVs0us eOnds-
h0B." End: That the Trustees .accede
to the request of the Frssdnea's Aid
Society, and, as an evidence of our desire
to labor in harmony with theSociety for
the promotion of these ends, we request
The resignation of Professor Ga,,Ikins"
Thus the matter is settled, once for all,
that the Methodist Episcopal Church is
determined to force its Southern mem
bers into the policy of the CO education
of the races. To be consistent, the
church could not afford to pursue any
other course. They now have an oppor-
tunity to give the matter thorough test.
Whatever the ultimate result of the trial
may be. it cannot be denied that the
action of the Society, now acceded to by
the Trustees, has put the Southern work
of that church at a wonderful disadvan
:age. The local projectors of this par
ticular enterprise made positive promise
to the people of this city that the school
should be for whites exclusively, and
upon this promise the citizens of Chat.
tanooga contributed to the school the
sum of $4,000. Had it been known by
our people from the beginning that the
institution would be mixed, as to color.
not one dollar of this money would have
zen given. We're these local officials
honest in the promise thus made? Did
they feel authorized to do this thing
What was their motive in making posi-
tive promise to the people of this city,
that has been violated by the Freedmen's
Aid Society, and which violation has also
been acquIesced in by the Board of
Trustees? These are questions that are
now being asked by not few people in
this city. In answer of these questions,
will assume the responsibility to say
that the local projectors of this scheme
had no intentional purpose TO deceive
this community, and by that deception
secure large donation of money. They
are themselves violently opposed to the
co-educatlon of the races; and they be-
lieved, at the time they made the PRO-
mise that the school should be for whites
only, that the sentiment of their North
ern co workers would sustain them.
This city, made up largely of enterprisine
Northern people, had become the head
quarters of the Southern work of the NJ
E. Church. Their paper was edited
here; their Bishop was located here; the
Church Extension Society had aided in
building handsome church here, and
nothing else was needed to make their
work a permanent success except the
establishment of a great school here
This would put the brain and the char
acter of the rising generation in their
hands. They were not able themselves to
raise the means to build and endow q
university, so they had to fall back on
the Freedman's Aid Society for funds
They saw such splendid opportunity
for reaching the masses of tie Southern
people, through the educational advan-
tages of the Chattanooga University, .
that they honestly believed their people
up North would see the same advantage
to be gained, and would, therefore,
permit them to use the money of the
Freedmen's Aid Society in building ur
great school for Southern whites
exclusively. Hence. laboring under this
belief, these local brethren made the
promise to our citizens that, if they
would contribute to the enterprise, the
school should be for whites exclusively
So they got $4,000, and added to it 8
large sum from the Freedmen Aid So
ciety, and built the University. anG
decided the same to the Freedmen's Ait
| Society. In this way they had q schoo
for whites only. But they were reckon
ing without their host. The money
sources Of the NJ. E. Church believe il
the equality of the races, in the fulles
and broadest sense of that word; and, fol
a temporary advantage in the South
they did not propose to sacrifice theil
principles on that race question. Hence
! they have forced these local officials int
their present unenviable position. Thi
whole matter has developed one fact
and that is: The Northern and South
ern members of the NJ. E. Church are
for the most part, diametrically opposed
/ to each other on the question of race
equality. They are badly in need o
some one to write them book on ''Th
j Union of the Church" OF course ther
will not be many whites in the Chat
ltanooga University after the presen
term shall have closed. The Southern
people are not yet prepared for an indiE
/ crimlnate mixture of whites and black
in the same school. Their training for
hundred years past has created deep
seated antipathy in them against such
course. 1t is rather strange that peopl
living in the North are blind to this fac
When these people come South, as som
of them do, and make the South the
home, they soon see that the socis
equality ofthe races is impracticable, an
they invariably abandon all thought
that direction. No church or State ca
regulate the tastes of people. am sorr
. for the Faculty of the University. The
l are true men, and they have foug}
: nobly to forestall the inevitable; but the
have had to succumb.
t Happily for us, the Methodist EpiscC
: pal Church, South, is not disturbed
: these questions. We are deeply intere
: tied in the educational and religion
( development of the colored people, ar
I thank God that, after so long tim
are getting in shape to take a hand
their improvement We were brougl
up among them, and We know their n
q tnres better than people who have gai
ed their knowledge of them throut
o newspapers and politicians Betwe'
these colored people and Southern pc
pie there is 3 warm attachment, whe
outside medtlIers have let US aloI
Therefore, out Of long experience, ,
have adopted the only policy in our pu